Desmond Hague ‘resigned’ on Tuesday as CEO of an international catering company.

A man is mean to a dog in an elevator. His meanness — a yanking of the leash, several kicks to a cowering Doberman pinscher puppy — is captured on surveillance video and eventually released to the public, a disturbing, hard-to-watch 55 seconds of animal abuse.

Social media, naturally, erupts in outrage and indignation. The man is outed as a corporate executive, and it is learned that the dog, named Sade, belongs to a friend in whose downtown Vancouver condo the man is staying.

The man’s name, the Internet screams, is Desmond Hague. He is the CEO of the U.S.-based catering firm Centerplate.

Make that was. On Tuesday, after relentless worldwide condemnation of his actions in that elevator, Hague became unemployed, his company announcing that he had “resigned”.

“The decision comes as a result of Hague’s personal misconduct involving the mistreatment of an animal in his care,” the firm’s statement said.

This, then, was the denouement after weeks of social media fury and flurry, after Hague apologized for the July 27 incident, after tugging his forelock and admitting it was totally out of character and that he was “deeply embarrassed and ashamed” at losing his temper with the puppy he was pet-sitting.

It also comes on the heels of his company’s efforts to address its CEO’s actions, and the growing threats of boycotts against Centerplate, which feeds fans at numerous North American arenas, including BC Place. Company directors ordered Hague to attend anger management classes, donate $100,000 to charity, and complete 1,000 hours of community service.

But that wasn’t enough. The SPCA launched an investigation (charges of animal cruelty are being considered), and online petitions to fire Hague attracted nearly 200,000 signatures.

Fast forward five weeks. The dog, taken away by the SPCA, is reportedly doing fine.

The man, however, lost his job.

What could be more absurd? What could be more of a Harvard case study on the troubling and growing phenomenon of the Internet lynch mob, and our unbridled propensity for sacrificing logic in our pursuit of overkill?

But this is what we do these days. We blow everything out of proportion, equating dog abuse with murder, launching our opinions into cyberspace in unedited fits of fury and indignation, often rendering our decisions without benefit of the twin properties of worthwhile opinion: perspective and balance.

We are especially moved to waging social media war when it comes to animals — and even more especially when it comes to dogs.

We hear the horrific story about six dogs dying in their dog-walker’s too-hot truck in Langley, and we hold memorials and kickstart online campaigns of vitriol, calling for the public lynching of the culprit responsible for the deaths of the “Brookswood 6” — as if they were a family slaughtered by a modern-day Manson. Should the dog walker be punished? Absolutely. But jail time? Get serious. They were dogs, not people. (Yes, you can now expect to see me burning in effigy in the nearest public square.)

Hurting a dog is unconscionable. As a society, we have a responsibility to address the perpetrators of such cruelty. Who can argue with that?

But where’s the perspective?

What about those of us normally upstanding citizens who have slapped our kids upside the head a time or two in anger, who have smacked the dog or yanked its leash in frustration, who have done things we aren’t proud of even though we are by no means alone in having done them?

What about those parents, all around us, who treat their children poorly, who don’t properly feed or clothe them, who hit them and yank them around? Where are those online campaigns, and charges pending? Where is the outrage that our society does so little to protect children who can’t protect themselves? Why aren’t those abusers fired?

What about others in positions of power — people like priests, doctors, teachers, police officers — who do the unspeakable to those in their charge and who, all too often, are forgiven their trespasses and allowed to carry on?

What about the real sociopaths, the men who beat women — their wives and girlfriends and daughters — in the dark of night? Where are those videos?

And, speaking of dog abuse, what about Michael Vick, the odious NFL star who did prison time for his part in an illegal dog-fighting ring in which dogs died gruesome deaths? Oh, right, he’s back earning a nice paycheque on the gridiron, yet another sports god having been forgiven heinous deeds. Why wasn’t he fired? Permanently.

But no, the CEO of a major company, by all accounts a valuable and talented leader, kicks a dog in a moment of pique, does and says all the right things to atone for his transgression, and yet is forced to resign because the nattering masses don’t think the punishment is enough.

His hangmen might want to ask the opinion of the charity which, one presumes, is no longer getting that $100,000.

Welcome to the new kangaroo court, in which the verdict isn’t about fairness and due process and, we’ll say it again, perspective, but instead is justice delivered via overkill and mob mentality.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.